Apparatus for wrapping strands on terminals



April 21, 1953 R. E. BENNETT APPARATUS FOR WRAPPING STRANDS ON TERMINALS Filed Oct. 15, 1949 FIG...

INVENTOR -R.E.BENNETT By New A'r'romvsr down upon the terminal.

Patented Apr. 21, 1953 APPARATUS FOR WRAPPING STRANDS ON TERMINALS Richard E. Bennett, New York, N. Y., assignor to Western Electric Company, Incorporated, New York, N. Y., a. corporation of New York Application October 15, 1949, Serial No. 121,599

6 Claims.

This invention relates to apparatus for wrapping strands on articles and more particularly to apparatus for wrapping the leading ends of electrical conductor wires on terminals.

In forming electrical connections between lead wires and terminals manually, the wrappings are rarely uniform and are occasionally undesirably loose resulting in unsatisfactory electrical connections.

An object of the invention is to provide an apparatus for uniformly wrapping strands tightly on articles.

With this and other objects in view, the invention comprises an apparatus for wrapping strands on articles including a hollow rotatable wrapping element having longitudinal apertures to receive portions of a given length of a strand to tightly wrap the strand about an article held by a stationary holder disposed in the wrapping element.

More specifically theapparatus includes a motor with a hollow shaft operatively connected to a hollow wrapping element to drive the element about the axis of the shaft. The wrapping element in the present embodiment of the invention has a plurality of parallel grooves whereby the strand or electrical conductor wire may be fed readily into the open end of a housing, covering both the element and the hollow shaft, and find one of the many grooves into which it may be fed a given distance providing a length of the wire to be Wrapped about the terminal. The housing is provided with notches at its outer end extending at right angles with i'espectto each other whereby the wire adjacent the leading end portion may be held firmly during wrapping of the leading end portion onto the terminal. A holder in the form of a rod extends through the motor, the hollow shaft thereof and the wrapping element providing a notched end to receive the outer end of the terminal holding the terminal against rotation during the wrapping operation. The position of the holder with respect to the outer end of the wrapping element may be varied to vary the position the wire is to be wrapped on the terminal. Another feature includes a resilient pressing element positioned to engage the wire leaving the groove in the wrapping element to press the wire tightly onto the terminal and to bend the trailing end of the wire Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, wherein Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of the apparatus, portions thereof being shown in section;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view of a portion of the apparatus;

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken along the line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view taken along the line 4-4 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view taken along the line 55 of Fig. 2; and

Figs. 6 and 7 are isometric views of portions of of the holder varying means disposed at the back of the motor.

Referring now to the drawing, attention is first directed to Fig. 1 which illustrates a motor to, this motor in the present embodiment of the invention being electrically driven. The motor 10 is supported by a handle H which houses the conventional switch (not shown) actuated by a trigger l2 to stop and start the motor. At one side of the motor, a stationary threaded member 14 supports a housing I5 including an outer member it which is provided with notches l'l disposed at right angles with respect to each other in the outer end thereof.

The motor In is provided with a hollow shaft to be rotated during energization of the motor In. A wrapping element 2| has tongue-like portions 22 receivable in notches 23 in the adjacent end of the hollow shaft 20 completing a positive connection between the wrapping element and the shaft whereby the wrapping element will rotate with the shaft about the axis of the shaft. A bearing 25 is mounted in the housing (5 to support the wrappingelement 2!. A given length of the wrapping element 2| is provided with a plurality of longitudinally extending apertures or grooves 21 circularly positioned to readily receive a given length of the leading end of a strand or electrical conductor wire 28 to be wrapped about an article such as a terminal 29. It will be noted by viewing Fig. 4 that the housing 15, particularly the portion [6 thereof closes the outer portions of the grooves or apertures 21.

A holder 30 in the form of a rod extends through the motor It, the hollow shaft 20, the hollow wrapping element 2! as well as bearinglike members (not shown) within the motor, a bearing membert2 in the hollow shaft 2|] and a bearing member 33 in the hollow wrapping element 2|. The outer end of the holder 30 positioned in the bearing 33 is reduced in size from the main portion of the holder and is provided with a cross-like notch 35 whereby the apparatus 3 may be readily disposed in engagement with terminals positioned vertically or horizontally with respect to their cross-sectional contours.

In the present embodiment of the invention, the holder 39 extends through a stationary member 37 of the motor i which supports a pin 38 having a rounded end 3%. An adjusting wheel at disposed concentric with the holder and firmly mounted thereon by suitable means such as a pin or set screw 44 has apertures M, 42 and 43 of different depths and ninety degrees apart to receive the pin 38. A bracket 45 mounted on the stationary member 3'! has an apertured portion 46 to receive the outer end of the holder. A spring 68, disposed concentric with the holder and interposed between the hand wheel 39 and the apertured portion 43 of the bracket normally urges the hand wheel with the holder to the left (Fig. l) a distance governed by the selected aperture registering with the pin 38. aperture ll will allow the holder it to be disposed in the position shown in the broken line position in Fig. 2, while the apertures 52 and d3 of increasingly greater depths will allow the holder to be positioned nearer the adjacentend of the wrapping element, one of which is shown in solid lines in this figure.

A resilient pressing element Si-fl in the form of a wire is carried by and rotated with the wrapping element to press the various portions of the wire leaving the wrapping element in close engagement with the article or terminal. The pressing element begins with a bent portion at disposed in a notch 52 in the inner end oi the wrapping element 2i to hold the press ing element against rotation. A given length of the pressing element extends through a longitudinal groove 53 of the wrapping element which is offset from the aperture El through which another portion it extends, this portion ending in a loop 55 with an inwardly extending portion 55 positioned to engage all portions of the leading end of the wire as it leaves the wrapping element to firmly press these portions into intimate engagement with the terminal.

During the operation of the apparatus, the leading end portion of the strand or wire to be wrapped about the article or terminal is is fed by the operator into the end of the housing and by the provision of many apertures 2! disposed about the inner periphery of the housing, and positioned closely adjacent each other, it is not necessary that the operator hunt for an aperture into which this portion of the wire may be disposed. The wire is fed into the selected aperture until it abuts against the inner end of the aperture after which the wire is bent through the nearest notch i? which serves to hold, that portion of the wire against movement.

The feeding of the leading end portion of the wire into one of the grooves or apertures 21 of the wrapping element requires very little time and as soon as this has been accomplished, the operator places the apparatus over the end of an article or terminal 21 with the end thereof extending into the notch 35 of the holder is. The operator may at that time press the trigger i2, energizing the motor to rotate the shaft 2e and the wrapping element 2 i. The length of wire in the aperture 27 of the wrapping element during rotation of the wrapping element will be wrapped about the terminal, pulling the leading portion. of the wire from the aperture until the entire portion of the wire has been wrapped on the ter minal. The location of these convolutionsof wire The shallowest on the terminal away from the end of the terminal are varied by varying the position of the holder 35 relative to the outer end of the wrapping element. This is accomplished by moving the hand wheel 46 to the right from the position in which it is now disposed, freeing it from the pin 33 and rotating the hand wheel in a direction to position the selected aperture lI42--43 in registration with the pin.

During the wrapping of the wire on the terminal, that is, as the wire leaves the wrapping element to form the respective convolutions on the terminal, all portions of the wire are engaged by the pressing element 59 which presses all portions of the wire closely adjacent the terminal, including the trailing end of the wire. This operation may bev repeated and in so doing, wires of various gages may be uniformly and tightly wound about a terminal at varying positions with respect to the outer end or the terminal.

It is to be understood that the above described arrangements are simply illustrative of the application of the principles of the invention. Numerous other arrangements may be readily devised by those skilled in the art which will embody the principles of the invention and fall within the spirit and scope thereof.

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for wrapping wire ona terminal comprising a motor, a hollow shaft extending centrally through the motor and driven thereby, a hollow wrapping element connected for rotation with the shaft with its axis in alignment with the axis of the shaft and having longitudinally extending apertures therein disposed at spaced positions about its axis to receive a portion of a given length of the leading end of ,a wire to be wrapped about a terminal, and aholder extending through the hollow shaft and iHtOxthfl wrapping element to hold the terminal against rotation during operation of the motor to rotate the shaft and wrapping element to wrap the said leading end portion about the terminal.

2. An apparatus for wrapping wire on a terminal comprising a motor, a hollow shaft extend! ing centrally through the motor and driven thereby, a hollow wrapping element connected for rotation with the shaft with its axis in alignment with the axis of the shaft and having longitudinally extending apertures therein disposed circumferentially about its axis to receive a portion of a given length of the leading end of a wire to be wrapped about a terminal, a housing for the shaft and wrapping element secured to the motor and having an open end notched to support the wire, adjacent the said portion of the leading end, against movement, and a holder ex tending through the hollow shaft and into the wrapping element to hold the terminal against rotation during operation of the motor to rotate the shaft andwrapping element to wrap: the said leading end portion about the terminal.

3. An apparatus for wrapping wire on a terminal comprising a motor, a hollow shaft extending centrally through the motor and driven thereby, a hollow wrapping element connected for rotation with the shaft with the axis in align-' ment with the axis of the shaft and having longitudinally extending apertures therein disposed circumferentially about its axis to receive a portion of a given length of the leading end of a wire to be wrapped about a terminal, a holder extending through the hollow shaft andinto, the wrapping elementrto hold the terminal against rotation during operationoif the motor to rotate the shaft and wrapping element to wrap the said leading end portion about the terminal, and means to vary the position the leading end of the wire is wrapped on the terminal by varying the location of the adjacent end of the holder relative to the outer end of the wrapping element.

4. An apparatus for Wrapping wire on a terminal comprising a motor, a hollow shaft extending centrally through the motor and driven thereby, a hollow wrapping element connected for rotation with the shaft with its axis in alignment with the axis of the shaft and having longitudinally extending apertures therein disposed circumferentially about its axis to receive a portion of a given length of the leading end of a wire to be wrapped about a terminal, a holder extending through the hollow shaft and into the wrapping element to hold the terminal against rotation during operation of the motor to rotate the shaft and wrapping element to wrap the said leading end portion about the terminal, and a bending element carried by the wrapping element to engage the extreme end of the said leading end portion of the wire to bend it close to the terminal.

5. An apparatus for wrapping strand material on a terminal comprising a hollow rotatable wrapping element having longitudinal apertures oircumferentially disposed about its axis to receive a portion of a given length of a strand, a holder coaxially disposed in the wrapping element to receive and hold a terminal against rotation, and means to rotate the wrapping element to wrap the said portion of the leading end of the strand about the terminal.

6. An apparatus for wrapping strand material on a terminal comprising a hollow rotatable wrapping element having longitudinal apertures circumferentially disposed about its axis to receive a portion of a given length of a strand, a holder coaxiaily disposed in the wrapping element to receive and hold a terminal against rotation, means to rotate the wrapping element to wrap the said portion of the leading end of the strand about the terminal, and a pressing element rotatable with the wrapping element to press the said portion of the strand into intimate engagement with the terminal.

RICHARD E. BENNETT.

References fitted in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,514,853 Haase Nov. 11, 192% 1,579,313 Haase Apr. 6, 1926 2,375,861 Martin May 15, 1945 2,375,862 Martin May 15, 1945 

